“A bear to tell a thousand stories”
Lot 350
“A very rare short red plush teddy bear, with button eyes, excelsior stuffing and felt pads, dressed as a Russian 13″ high with Steiff button (voice box inoperative, front paws recovered in chamois leather) 1906 — 1909 £2000 — £3000”
Looks like a normal description in a specialist teddy sale. Who would have thought this innocuous paragraph would be the beginning of an international career and stardom? It may have been his Royal connections, his rare colour, his sentimental story or just his irresistible expression that pushed the price of this teddy bear from the initial estimate the hammer price in excess of £12,000.
Produced by Steiff in 1908, cut from vivid red, short pile mohair which has a lighter backing, he has solid black boot button eyes, a black stitched nose and cream pads. Inside he is filled with excelsior (wood wool) and being fully jointed he can move his legs, arms and head. Having all the hallmarks of an early Steiff teddy bear Alfonzo still had the identifying button in ear trademark so often lost over the years.
Although Steiff released a limited range of coloured bears at this time, no record or sample of this shade has been found to exist in the archives of the prestigious German toy markers and it is therefore thought that the bear was a special order.
Who would have warranted such a special order? Only a handful of people could have been granted this honour. One such person was Grand Duke George Michailovich, first cousin of Tsar Alexander III of Russia, who was father to the then current Tsar Nicholas II. The bear was to be a special 1908 gift to George’s daughter Princess Xenia, she named him Alfonzo, appropriately meaning ‘Noble, prompt and ready for struggle’, little did they know how apt this would prove to be.
The first few years of their lives together seemed idyllic, residing in Michailovskaya Palace in Petersburg and in warmer months moving to Crimea. Days were spent playing, dressing up and having fun, Alfonzo even gained his own set of specially tailored Cossack jacket and trousers made for him by Xenia’s English nanny Miss Ball (Nanabell). At the age of 10, Xenia visited her mother’s cousin, King George V and Queen Mary residing at Buckingham Palace for the summer.
Events were to take a drastic turn; the outbreak of war delayed the families return home, forcing them to stay on at Marlborough House.
In Russia, Tsar Nicholas II had to juggle fighting in the war and political unrest at home. Accusations of the ruling family being out of touch with the changing classes, the huge loss of Russian lives on the front line and the rise of revolutionaries led to the abdication of the Tsar on 2nd March 1917. He was then held under house arrest along with members of his family. Warring political parties meant a period of unsettlement until Lenin and the Bolsheviks took full control in what is now termed as the ‘October Revolution’.
After being moved several times, the orders, thought to have come from Lenin himself, were given to execute the whole Romanov family. This was carried out on July 16th 1918. This was just the beginning, the following year the Grand Duke, Xenia’s father was also assassinated with several other family members. Returning to Russia was no longer an option for Xenia and her mother.
Alfonzo provided much comfort at this time, someone to share memories of her precious father, a confidant and fellow lost soul. By 1921 Xenia had met and married William Leeds, heir to a tin fortune. Her new life saw her relocating to Long Island, New York, USA where she lived a happy and fulfilled life. Of course Alfonzo went too, remaining by his friends side until her death in 1965. Xenia’s daughter Mrs Nancy Leeds Wynkoop became Alfonzo’s guardian until it was decided that he should go to somewhere where his exploits could be retold.
And so the little red bear ended up in London, at a specialist teddy bear auction held by Christie’s auction house in 1989. There had been an inordinate amount of interest, his new owner had to keep his nerve when the price smashed the then world record for a bear with the final bid being £12,100. Eventually Ian Pout, proprietor of Teddy Bears of Witney, Oxfordshire’s specialist teddy bear retailer became Alfonzo’s new guardian.
Alfonzo’s story needed to be told and his charisma shared, it was decided that Steiff should create a replica of him. In 1990 this went on sale in an edition of 5000 pieces, proving extremely popular it remains today one of the most sought after and highly priced Steiff Limited Editions on the market. A Baby Alfonzo followed in 1995, a pale blond Xenia bear plus a host of collectables including postcards, ceramics from Colourbox, prints, jewellery and stationery.
Alfonzo can be seen on display in Witney for the majority of time, he has also travelled the world retelling his story. And for his special 100th birthday, Steiff have pulled out all the stops and created an aged replica accompanied by a commemorative book which means you can learn and experience his magic every day. Of course he is having a large birthday party, with lots of guests and special events.
Enjoy yourself Alfonzo.......you deserve it!!
